Many researchers have contacted the Washington Co. Historian, Joseph Cutshall-King, by mail and email asking for research to be done. The letter below is the standard response you will receive if you contact the Historian's Office.
Sincerely yours,
Joseph A. Cutshall-King
County Historian
In person: the office is open every Wednesday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. All are welcome and there is no fee for in-person use of the records.
Mail/e-mail: For inquiries made by mail or e-mail, there is a non-refundable service fee of $10.00, as approved by the County Board of Supervisors. The fee is payable in advance. (Please make all checks/money orders payable to THE WASHINGTON COUNTY TREASURER.) You can mail the check and e-mail your questions on the information you seek. When sending your check, remember to indicate what the check is for.
In all cases where copies are requested, there is a charge for copying records (50 cents per page).
There are 17 towns in Washington County, so inquiries should, if possible, mention a particular town. Addresses of town historians are available. Please include as much information as possible when making an inquiry. It will make a difference. As this office is open only one day a week, we ask your patience when waiting for a reply. You will receive a reply.
REGARDING YOUR INQUIRIES:
Please include a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) in all
correspondence.
Please understand that due to budget restraints we cannot return long
distance calls.
Thank you.
1. New York State census records for 1790; Washington County census for 1820. (Census records listed the first name of only the head of a household and the number of males and females, regardless of relationship, until 1850 when the records began to list each individual.)
2. Published regional histories, plus histories of several towns, of Washington and nearby counties;
3. 1866 Washington County Atlas, showing each town's residents; military information (limited); published and unpublished (manuscript) genealogies;
4. A quantity of bible records (early church records are scarce and incomplete); cemetery records from all towns, incl. a few Roman Catholic cemeteries;
5. Over forty years of County Historian's genealogical correspondence filed by family name;
6. An index of early wills (1788-1825) giving names of the legatees, and later ones (through 1880's) which contain date of probate. For complete copies of wills or information on administration papers, and fees for same, contact the Archivist, at this same address;
7. And more.
Please Note - Vital Statistics (in school district reports), for 1847-1849 only; New York State did not begin to keep vital statistic records until 1880/81. Vital records must be obtained from the clerk/registrar of the city, town or village where the birth, death or marriage occurred. There is a fee and vital records are not open to the public. Also, present-day Washington County was a part of Albany County until 1772, when a portion of Albany County became Charlotte County embracing an area extending to the Canadian border and including disputed areas of Vermont. In 1784, Charlotte County was renamed Washington County, and included all but the very southern part of today's Washington County, which remained in Albany County. With the settlement of the border with Vermont in 1791, those lands became a part of the county. In 1813, present day Warren County split from Washington County. Therefore deeds and many other documents relating to large sections of upper New York State can be found among this county's early records. Furthermore, as with every county, towns were divided, and new towns with different names were carved out of existing townships.
Please indicate which of these you choose:
_____I do permit my address and/or e-mail to be circulated to other
researchers.
_____I do NOT permit my address and/or e-mail to be circulated to other researchers.
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